LAZY but persistent accusations that modern day footballers are mercenaries who are more concerned with the health of their bank balances than the fortunes of the clubs which are paying their wages could never be levelled at Robbie Fraser.
“Rangers runs through me,” said Fraser, the promising left back who is hoping to get an extended run in the Ibrox first team in the coming weeks while Ridvan Yilmaz is sidelined by injury.
“All of my family, everybody I know really, are supporters. It began where I grew up in my street. I had a season ticket when I was younger. To say I'm a Rangers first team player makes me so proud. Not many people can take that away from me. To be on the pitch with my family cheering me on in the stands makes it even sweeter.”
Yet, the Glasgow-born defender, who replaced Rabbi Matondo in the second half of the Premier Sports Cup victory over St Johnstone at Hampden last Saturday evening, has no intentions of downing tools now that he has realised his lifelong dream.
Far from it. He is determined to become a regular starter at Rangers and help the side he grew up cheering on from the stands to silence their doubters and savour success.
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“I was seven years old when I joined,” said Fraser. “It's a crazy amount of time I’ve been here. I’ve been through everything at the club. I've worked incredibly hard every day, working on my craft.
“I'm at the top of the pile now so hopefully I can stay here. I don't want to be known as the younger one. I want to try and establish myself in the first team. I'll try and kick on from here.”
“It's a huge step up. I’ve been training with the first-team lads for a while so you do get to come to terms with it more. Getting some minutes on the pitch definitely helps. I feel really good and I feel a part of it now.
“It's a completely different side of things. Of course, you're working hard in the academy, but when you make that jump it's a completely different ball game. But I feel I’m capable of doing it.”
The 21-year-old is grateful to everyone at Auchenhowie who has helped him to develop as a player and progress through the youth ranks since he first arrived at Rangers way back in 2010.
“There's several coaches, too many to name through the years, who have influenced me,” he said. “But Brian Gilmore, who in the first team now, is one. He worked in the academy. So for him to come up and for me to come up with him has been good. It's really nice to have that relationship.
“But there's loads of coaches, Cal McMaster, David McCallum, Malky Thompson, who have helped. Even when I was younger, Greg Statt and guys like. So there’s been loads of top coaches.”
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However, Fraser is hopeful that working under Philippe Clement, who brought through gifted kids at the clubs he has managed at in Belgium and France and who gave winger Ross McCausland extensive game time last term, will prove beneficial to him.
He was certainly encouraged when Clement, who handed him his Rangers debut in a league game against Dundee back in May and then gave him an extension to his contract this summer that keeps him in Govan until 2026, revealed he did not intend to bring in another left back when Yilmaz was ruled out for up to six weeks.
That is partially due to the lack of funds which are available to him to strengthen his squad in the transfer marker – but it also suggests that he has faith in the capabilities of his protégé.
“It's fantastic to hear,” said Fraser. “It's exactly what you want. I'm working every day to try and capitalise on any moments I can get. Of course, Ridvan is a great player and the team will miss him. But it's an opportunity for me to step in and try and show what I can do.
“You work every day for moments and if any moments come, you have to be ready. The gaffer talks about it all the time that he can show faith in young players, so I have to be on my toes.
“He’s not necessarily told me I'm going to get X amount of games, but he just said to keep doing what I'm doing, that opportunities will arise, just like on Saturday night against St Johnstone.
“I just need to be patient. I know there are some top players around my position. It’s understandable that I might not get the minutes I want, but I'm working in a great environment and I can only see myself getting better.”
The chances of Rangers, who are playing their home games at Hampden at the moment due to delays to the redevelopment work on the Copland Stand at Ibrox, challenging Celtic for the William Hill Premiership or lifting the Premier Sports Cup and Scottish Gas Scottish Cup this season have been written off by many.
But there is no prospect of Robbie Fraser, who is hoping to get the nod from Clement when Ross County visit Mount Florida this weekend, listening to the naysayers and not giving his absolute all for his beloved Ibrox club whenever he gets on the pitch.
